Portable ladder stands are widely used for hunting purposes and for gaining access to a tree or post at an elevated position thereon. Conventional ladder stands typically include a substantially straight ladder portion with or without a horizontally extending seat or rest portion at the upper end thereof.
A long-standing problem with the use of ladder stands adapted to be attached to a tree trunk or a vertically-extending post pertains to the lack of stability of the ladder stand, particularly when the stand is erected and initially ascended by the user for attachment of the ladder stand to the tree or post at the upper end of the ladder stand, or during final descent from the ladder stand after disconnecting the ladder stand from such tree or post. Accordingly, conventional ladder stands do not provide adequate stability during the initial ascent of or final descent from the ladder and the ladder tends to tilt away from the tree thereby posing the risk of serious injury to a person attempting to climb or descend the ladder.
Efforts to solve the above-mentioned problem with ladder stands have been attempted, including the provision of single rigid strut-like stabilizing devices which are attached to a lower rung of the ladder and to the tree or post against which the ladder stand is being erected. Ladder stands have also been secured to trees or posts by one or more ropes or straps. However, securement of a ladder stand to a tree or post at a lower rung by prior art stabilizing devices has not addressed the problem of instability of the ladder stand during the initial ascent.
The above-mentioned problem is further aggravated by the desire to provide maximum portability and reduced weight of ladder stands, since these structures are often carried long distances through forests or dense vegetation by persons seeking a desirable hunting spot or otherwise requiring the use of a ladder stand in a remote or heavily vegetated location. Accordingly, stabilizing devices for ladder stands should be made as light-in-weight and as easily carriable as possible.
It is to the above-mentioned ends that the present invention has been developed.